Opinion Post: To Eat, or Not to Eat…

Hey everyone! The topic of today’s blog post is: date night. More specifically, first date night. Of course, not eating is obviously out of the question, especially since most first dates occur at a restaurant of some type. But the question still remains, what do eat, and will your date care?

There have been many debates over the years about what someone should or should not eat when on a date. Females tend to stay away from spaghetti, and guys tend to stay away from…well, there’s not too much that a guy will stay away from, lol. Maybe leafy greens; they could be self conscious about little green bits stuck in their teeth.

Then again, does it really matter what you eat on a date, as long as you use simple rules of etiquette? If they can’t handle the way you eat early on, how will they handle it later?

What do you think?

photo credit: mary_thompson

Cookies!!!!!

Favorite Sesame Street character: Cookie Monster, hands down. Why? Because we share the same love of chewy, portable, on-the-go treats: cookies. I have a couple of favorites. Chocolate Chip holds the highest honor (as long as they are chewy, and not crunchy. Who wants to eat a chocolate chip potato chip?), while sugar (Great American Cookie), white chocolate macadamia nut, and oatmeal fall in rank behind. And no, I don’t mean Oatmeal Raisin. Just oatmeal. I can’t stand raisins. Though they do belt out a mean ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’.

Well, there’s one particular cookie that I’m raving about today. It’s Makeda’s butter cookie from the shop in Midtown (it’s new!). I don’t know anyone who hasn’t had one of Makeda’s cookies at one point in time. The butter cookie is what Makeda’s is most known for, though I happen to enjoy her iced oatmeal and macadamia nut cookies as well.

If you haven’t gotten one of their cookies before, I suggest you head over to 1329 Madison right now. Other locations can be found at 5729 Raleigh LaGrange and 2370 Airways.

What’s your favorite cookie?

Resident Poll: What are you doing for St. Patrick’s Day

Hey Madison at Schilling! Since St. Patrick’s Day is in the middle of the week this year, many people are using this oncoming weekend to celebrate and get their green in gear. What about you? Do you have anything planned for the green holiday, or is it just another day to you? Don’t get pinched!

Jim’s Place Grille

I’m not afraid to try new things. But when it comes to new restaurants, I’m kind of picky. Luckily, my friend persuaded me to try Jim’s Place Grille. It actually turned out to be pretty good. The atmosphere is casual, but has the food quality of fine cuisine.

While there, I had the Parmesan Chicken. Now, I absolutely LOVE chicken. Any kind. Chicken is so versatile, and you can almost never go wrong. So of course, I was prepared to be very skeptical about the dish. It turned out to surprise me. It was a pretty good size with two sides (I had the Turnip Greens and rice pilaf), all for under $10. The greens weren’t all that great, but that’s mainly because I’m pretty biased to the way my family makes them.

The sauce on the parmesan chicken was superb. The chicken was moist and juicy like I like it. : I finished it there, but would have loved to take some home. I would definitely go again and recommend this dish to a friend.

Have you ever been?

Beale Street Music Festival

Who’s ready to jam?! The Beale Street Music Festival is coming up, so get ready to rock out, sit back, and enjoy some good music! The festival is set to begin on April 30th and will keep the music rocking until May 2nd at Tom Lee Park in Memphis.

The full lineup for the festival was released yesterday. The festival will include names like: The Flaming Lips, The Drive-By Truckers, Band of Horses, 30 Seconds to Mars, Limp Bizkit, Hall & Oates, and Jeff Beck to name a few.

There is probably less contemporary star power than usual in this year’s lineup, but a healthy selection of vital current bands who should be good fits for the live outdoor setting.

Tickets are on sale today at all Ticketmaster outlets, online at Ticketmaster.com, and by phone at 800-745-3000. Three-day passes are $65. Single-day tickets are $29.50

There’s just enough of a selection of artists for everyone from all backgrounds to enjoy. So get your tickets now, as I’m sure they’ll go fast!

Are you thinking about going?

Photos Courtesy of Memphis Flyer

Guess What This Chandelier is Made From?

I love unique decorating ideas. Especially ones that involve everyday items. This chandelier is hand-strung from 5,000 candy pieces. Can you guess what kind they are?

Destination Weddings: Destination = Apple Store??

When I think of destination weddings, I’m thinking of exotic, beautiful resorts like the Bahamas, Hawaii, or Jamaica. Not an electronics store, but hey, that’s just me.

This Valentine’s Day, an Apple-obsessed couple tied the knot at New York’s Fifth Avenue Apple Store in a ceremony that referenced Steve Jobs, boasted a first generation iPod as a ring bearer and was officiated by a priest decked out like Jobs himself.

Now, I love Apple and all of the techy-goodness that they have to offer, but I don’t love them enough to have my wedding in an Apple store! I bet Steve Jobs didn’t know that his products were THIS influential.

Now, I know that many people often celebrate the anniversary of their first date by going back to the place that the date took place. These two took it to the extreme. The bride, Ting Le was looking for an iPod and the groom, Josh struck up a conversation with her regarding it. It’s cute, sweet, and geeky all at the same time. What more could you ask for?

What about you? Would you get married in a chain store? Leave your answers in the comments!

Most Directors Turn a Book into a Film, but not James Cameron…

Cameron went the opposite route. Instead of turning a book into a film, he’s turning a film into a book. With the immense success that his blockbuster hit “Avatar” has had, one has to wonder how much more success and glory one could get!

The infamous director states that the book won’t necessarily be a prequel, but more of a “vehicle to give even more detail to the movie”, and that “the plot line would follow along “quite closely” but would also include deeper character development through interior monologue”.

I’m not entirely sure how well the book will captivate audience AFTER seeing “Avatar”, but I’m always up for a good read. What about you? Would you read the book, or do you just want the “Avatar” craze to be over?